Thankfulness

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope today finds you feeling blessed and thankful as you spend this special time with family and friends! During an extended time away with family the past week, I had the chance to visit the Calvary Chapel Murrieta. I love being able to experience other venues for worship just to be reminded how diverse and creative and big our God is and that He is everywhere and relevant to wherever His people are. It's the "same kind of different as me" experience when we seek to see the world and each other the way God does. Sometimes we don't even realize when we get comfortable where we are, that we are seeing things through a narrow lens, unless we take the opportunity to get out of our comfort zone and experience life outside that safety net. Even though we don't have to leave home to do that, I am thankful for the fresh perspective I have had this week away from home. I hope your break this week from regular routines gives you renewed energy and joy as we have a day to regroup and reflect on the things we are most thankful for.

So on that note, I want to share a devotion received from the Calvary Chapel Murrieta Women's Ministry titled Time to Count Your Blessings by "Kelly".

I love when November rolls around. Thanksgiving is such a great holiday. I love the fact that everywhere we turn, we are encouraged to count our blessings and have a thankful heart. Being thankful is definitely a Biblical principle. Psalm 95:2-3 tells us to "Come before His presence with thanksgiving: let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods." Over and over we are exhorted to be thankful. Thanksgiving is a great reminder of what our hearts shold be doing 24/7.

It's easy to take for granted the things that God does every day. He gives us breath, food, clothing, and homes. He allows us to have relationships with families and friends. He gives us the sun to light the day and the moon to light the night. He gives us the wind to blow through our hair and the mountains to climb. He gives us the sea to enjoy and the flowers to smell. Our list could go on and on.

Today, I am most thankful for His power. We studied Psalm 46 this week in our Bible study. It's a psalm that was written by the sons of Korah to exalt and praise God for His power over nature, His power over the nations, and His power to be our refuge. Basically, the psalmist says that no matter what is happening in our world, we don't have to fear, because God, the Lord of Hosts, is in control. Even if the whole world is falling apart, we don't have to.

A few weeks ago, our world experienced a typhoon, an earthquake, and a raging storm, all in two days. Fear paralyzed many. God's Word says, even in times like that, we don't have to be afraid. God is never shaken off the throne. He was, is, and always will be, King of Kings and Lord over all. And somehow, knowing that, we can "be still and know He is God" (Psalm 46:10).

Knowing that God is in control of every, yes, every situation, can bring a calmness to our soul that is unexplainable. It doesn't mean we're in denial when we trust God and decide not to worry. It means we believe that even when bad things happen to us or in our world, God is still sovereign. He is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (all-present), and omnipotent (all-powerful). He is in all, over all, and through all (Colossians 1:15-18). He's our Father of Lights (James 1:17) and our Lord of Hosts (Psalm 46:7). He is the First and the Last. He is my Lord. I pray He's yours. Take time every day to offer up thanks and praise to the God who will NEVER leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).